Andy Biebl

Covid-19 and TML

To come to the lake or not?

4/28/2020

Minnesota is under a "stay-at-home" Executive Order of the governor through Sunday, May 18 (Exec. Order 20-33). On the governor's website, there is a Frequently Asked Questions section that addresses travel to and from lake cabins. That section reads: " Although the executive order doesn't prohibit traveling to or from a cabin, the Governor strongly urges all Minnesotans to stay in their primary residence. Staying home helps protect your neighbors from spreading COVID-19 and also avoids crowding rural medical facilities. Avoiding this kind of travel makes us all safer and healthier." The full Q&A can be accessed at this website: https://mn.gov/governor/covid-19/faq/

The State of Minnesota maintains a Covid-19 Public Dashboard. Cass County currently (as of 4-26-20) has 5 confirmed cases, Hubbard Co. (Park Rapids) none, Crow Wing County (Brainerd) 20 and Beltrami County (Bemidji) 6 confirmed cases. That Dashboard can be accessed at: https://mn.gov/covid19

The availability of ICU beds capable of handling Covid-19 cases in the Ten Mile Lake region is limited. Per a news article posted by KARE-11 on 3-23-20, both Cass County and Hubbard County have zero ICU beds. Crow Wing County has 16 ICU beds and Beltrami County has 10. However, there are also reports that the State of Minnesota is attempting to add ICU beds with ventilator capability. In a more recent article, the Park Rapids hospital reports 5 ICU beds with ventilators (Park Rapids Enterprise, 4-10-20).

When you do return (especially from an area that has numerous cases or from out of state), it is suggested that you “self-quarantine” for two weeks after arriving. That will take planning ahead to make sure you have enough groceries.